Several hours later, we were checked into the hotel Napoleon and unwinding with some drinks at the Captain's Cabin, one of Beirut's first drinking establishments in the neighborhood of Hamra, where we caught up with some of Jared's friends for a detailed recap of the events of the past week in Beirut. Bottles of Almaza, Lebanon's top pilsner, lined the table as the lively banter and speculation over the future of country continued into the night.